2004-2005 Bobcats Hockey

2005 Atlantic Hockey Semifinals

No. 1 Quinnipiac (20-12-3, 16-6-2 Atlantic Hockey)

vs. No. 7 Bentley (8-19-6, 6-13-5 Atlantic Hockey)

Game 36 • March 18, 2005 • 4:30 p.m.

Northford Ice Pavilion • Northford, Conn.

Radio • AM 1220 WQUN

Bill Schweizer, Play-by-Play, Randy Brochu, Color

Internet • www.quinnipiacbobcats.com

INCHING CLOSER

Four teams remain in the quest for the Atlantic Hockey tournament title and the NCAA tournament berth that goes along with it. By virtue of its first-place finish during the regular season and quarterfinal round win over Army last weekend, the Quinnipiac University men's ice hockey team will host the semifinals and finals of the tournament. No. 1 Quinnipiac will face No. 7 Bentley in the first semifinal on Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. No. 3 Mercyhurst will take on No. 4 Holy Cross in the second semifinal at 7:30 p.m. The two winners advance to the final on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. All games are at the Northford Ice Pavilion. Bill Schweizer and Randy Brochu will have all of the action live on AM 1220 WQUN. Live audio and livestats will also be available at www.quinnipiacbobcats.com.

BOBCATS IN THE SEMIFINALS

Quinnipiac is 3-2 all-time in conference tournament semifinal matchups. The Bobcats were knocked out of the MAAC tournament semis in 1999 and 2000 before winning semifinal round games in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

TURNING DEFENSE INTO OFFENSE

Sophomore defenseman Reid Cashman is looking to become what is believed to be just the second blueliner in the modern college hockey era to lead a conference in scoring at the end of a season. Cashman's 43 points are currently an Atlantic Hockey best heading into the weekend. Wayne Gagne of Western Michigan led the CCHA with 68 points during the 1986-87 season en route to All-CCHA, CCHA Player of the Year and First-Team All-America honors.

HOLDEN TOPS ANOTHER QU LIST

Senior goaltender Jamie Holden registered his seventh career shutout on Saturday night in the quarterfinal round win over Army. As a result, he matched J.C. Wells, who also recorded seven shutouts from 1997-2000.

POST-SEASON POWER ON HOME ICE

The Bobcats are 6-0 in MAAC/Atlantic Hockey home contests since moving to Division I, going undefeated in six quarterfinal round games.

CHAMPIONSHIP CHARGE

Quinnipiac clinched its third regular season title at the Division I level on March 3 when it defeated Connecticut. It was the first regular season title since the 1999-2000 season, when it was the regular season champs of the MAAC Hockey League. The Bobcats also won the MAAC regular season title in 1999. Quinnipiac finished second in the MAAC in 2001, 2002 (when it won the MAAC tournament and reached the NCAA tournament) and 2003, and finished third in Atlantic Hockey during the regular season last year.

THE DOUBLE CENTURY MARK

Head coach Rand Pecknold claimed his 200th career victory on March 5 in a 6-1 win over AIC. Pecknold becomes just the 17th active Division I coach with at least 200 career victories.

IT'S WORTH NOTING

Quinnipiac has won 14 of its last 16 heading into the weekend. Its the best stretch for the program since the 2001-02 team posted a 10-2-4 mark in its final 16 games of the year.

NO NEED FOR A RECOUNT

The Quinnipiac University men's ice hockey team has received votes in two national polls for the third week in a row. Once again, the Bobcats are No. 19 in the Insidecollegehockey.com Power Rankings and have received votes in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll. In addition, the Bobcats are tabbed for the East (Worcester, Mass.) Regional for a game against Colorado College. Each week, INCH forecasts the upcoming NCAA tournament with predictions of who will be grouped in the post-season brackets. Quinnipiac, by virtue of its ascent to the top of the Atlantic Hockey standings, is the league representative.

CASHMAN ON THE NATIONAL CHARTS

Reid Cashman remains first in the NCAA in total points and points/game by a defenseman. He has 43 points (13 goals, 30 assists) this season and is averaging 1.22 points/game. He is also seventh in assists/game with 0.86 a contest.

CRAIG HONORED BY ATLANTIC HOCKEY

Following a six-point stretch that played a key role in two victories to close the regular season, Matt Craig was named Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week. Thanks in part to Craig's efforts, the Bobcats clinched the Atlantic Hockey regular season title on Thursday night in a 4-2 win over Connecticut. He handed out three assists in that game. On Saturday, Craig followed that performance up with another three-point night. He scored two goals and set up another score as Quinnipiac closed the regular season with a victory.

KEEPING EXCLUSIVE COMPANY

The Quinnipiac University men's ice hockey team has claimed its seventh straight winning season at the Division I level and ninth in a row going back to the Division II days. The Bobcats will keep pace with Michigan, New Hampshire, Northern Michigan and Maine, each of whom has had a winning record for the past seven years. Michigan State can make it seven in a row with one more win on the year.

ATLANTIC HOCKEY EXTRA

Quinnipiac's 20 wins are a league-high coming into the weekend.

TWENTY TIMES SIX

The Bobcats secured their sixth 20+ win season in the past seven years with a win over Army on Saturday. Quinnipiac also had five consecutive 20+ win seasons from 1998-99 to 2002-03.

NEW BENCHMARK FOR DEFENSEMAN

Reid Cashman passed Ed Muzyka for the single-season mark for points by a defenseman on March 3 in the win over UConn. Muzyka held the old mark of 37 points during the 1985-86 season, but Cashman has since surpassed that with 43 points.

NATIONAL FIGURES

Less than 24 hours after clinching the Atlantic Hockey regular season title, the Quinnipiac University men's ice hockey team received more good news as two of its players earned national awards for the month of February. Sophomore defenseman Reid Cashman (Red Wing, Minn.) was named CSTV/HCA National Division I Player of the Month, while freshman forward Ben Nelson (Spokane, Wash.) was tabbed as the CSTV/HCA National Division I Rookie of the Month.

• It marked the first time that any student-athlete from the Atlantic Hockey Association has received CSTV/ HCA National Division I Player or Rookie of the Month honors in the three-year history of the awards. It is also the first time that two players from the same team have been recognized in the same month.

• Cashman led Atlantic Hockey, and the nation, in scoring in February with five goals and 20 points as the Bobcats compiled a 7-2-0 record. He registered at least a point in eight of nine appearances, and averaged 2.22 points-per-outing while recording six multi-point games and a plus/minus rating of +12.

• Nelson posted points in all nine Bobcat contests in February. His 11-8-19 chart, was second to only Cashman in offensive production nationally in the month, included his first college hat trick, and five-point game, against Mercyhurst on Feb. 5. He recorded a second three-goal game on Feb. 19 against Canisius. Nelson contributed to 19-of-41 goals (46.3 percent) netted by Quinnipiac in February. His output included a pair of game-winning goals and four power-play markers. Nelson averaged 2.11 points-per-game and posted six multi-point outings during the month.

CASHMAN CLOSING IN

Reid Cashman has moved into sixth place all-time at Quinnipiac for points by a defenseman with 64 (15 goals, 49 assists), surpassing Wade Winkler, who had 63 career points.

BACK TO BACK FOR HAMMEL

Senior Rob Hammel found the back of the net for the second straight game in Saturday's win over Army.

HE'S WHITE HOT

Senior forward Chris White became the 23rd player in program history to join the 100-point club on Feb. 25. He did so with a goal in the win over Sacred Heart. White is also the 10th player to reach the mark at the Division I level. For his career, White now has 101 points (42 goals, 59 assists).

HOLDEN MAKING A RUN

Already the Quinnipiac career leader in saves, save percentage and goals against average, Jamie Holden now has J.C. Wells in sight for the all-time wins record. If the Bobcats can run the table to the NCAA tournament, then he will set a new record. Wells had 59 career victories, one more than Holden's 58 entering the weekend.

STREAKING DURING THE WINNING STREAK

Several players have stepped up their play during Quinnipiac's recent surge. Reid Cashman (nine goals, 23 assists) has 32 points over the past 16 games, while Ben Nelson (16 goals, nine assists) has 25 points over that same span.

SODY STEPPING UP

Freshman Matt Sorteberg has scored 13 points in the past 11 games for the Bobcats. He also has 16 points in the past 15 games. Thanks to his strong play as of late, he has moved into third in Atlantic Hockey in scoring by a defenseman by 22 points (three goals, 19 assists).

NELLIE ON THE NATIONAL CHARTS

In terms of scoring, Ben Nelson is second nationally in goals/game (0.78). Bruce Mulherin of Alabama-Huntsville is first (0.79), followed by Nelson. Nelson has 18 goals in 23 games for the Bobcats this season.

PENALTY KILLING...NOT TOO SHABBY

The Bobcats penalty kill is 7th in the NCAA this year (86.7 percent) and also holds the top single-game penalty killing effort this year. Quinnipiac warded off all 13 Bentley power plays in a win over the Falcons on October 16.

ROOKIES GETTING THE JOB DONE

Quinnipiac has four of the top 11 freshman scorers in Atlantic Hockey this year. Ben Nelson (28 points) is second, followed by Matt Sorteberg (22 points) in fourth, Mark Van Vliet (19 points) in eighth and Jamie Bates (16 points) in 11th.

SIZING UP ATLANTIC HOCKEY

• Ben Nelson ranks third in the league with his 18 markers, while Matt Craig is fourth with 16 goals.

• Reid Cashman ranks first in points, assists, points/defenseman, power play points and is ninth in goals (13).

• Matt Sorteberg is third in points/defenseman (22) and ninth in assists (19).

• Matt Froehlich is ninth in the league in goals (13).

• Matt Craig is ninth in points (33).

THREE - THIS YEAR'S MAGIC NUMBER

The Bobcats are 18-1-2 when scoring at least three goals in a game this season.

KELS SCORING AT THE RIGHT TIME

Junior forward John Kelly closed the regular season with eight points in the final six games.

SCORING IN BUNCHES

Ben Nelson has 16 goals in the past 14 games, including four multiple-goal efforts.

SATURDAY NIGHT'S ALRIGHT FOR WINNING

Saturday has clearly been the most successful day out of the week for the Bobcats. They are 12-4-0 in Saturday games this year.

CASHMAN'S SCORING EQUALS SUCCESS

Quinnipiac is 11-0-1 this year when sophomore defenseman Reid Cashman scores a goal.

NELSON HONORED FOR FOUR STRAIGHT WEEKS

Freshman forward Ben Nelson enjoyed a four-week stretch to remember in late January and early February. After picking up Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week selections on Jan. 31 and Feb. 7, he was then named Rookie of the Week on Feb. 14 and 21.

THE K-D-B LINE GETS IT DONE

The Bobcats received some fine production from the line of Joe Dumais, Michael Bordieri and John Kelly on Feb. 19. Each player either set or matched a career-high in points in the 8-1 win over Canisius. Dumais had a career-high two goals and three points, while Kelly had a career-high three points (one goal, two assists). Bordieri also matched a career-high with two assists.

GOING HATTY

Ben Nelson has become the first Quinnipiac player to register two hat tricks in a season since Matt Craig had a pair during the 2002-03 season.

KEEP IT COMING...

Ben Nelson scored a goal in six consecutive games from Jan. 28-Feb. 12. The last time a Quinnipiac player had scored in five straight contests was Matt Froehlich, from Feb. 8-22, 2003. Chris Cerrella holds the program record with markers in 11 games in a row from Oct. 22-Nov. 27, 1999.

BOBCATS PLAY AT THE FLEETCENTER

For the second time in three seasons, the Quinnipiac University men's ice hockey team played in a National Hockey League venue. After bringing college hockey back to Madison Square Garden for the first time in 25 years back in 2002-2003, the Bobcats faced Holy Cross at the Fleet Center in Boston on Feb. 12.

THE LAST TIME...

...that Quinnipiac had won seven in a row was during the 2000-01 season when it won seven straight from Feb. 17-March 15.

STASTICALLY SPEAKING

The Bobcats outscored their opponents by a tally of 34-18 during the seven-game winning streak. Quinnipiac averaged just 2.3 goals/game during its first 19 contests but more than doubled that during the winning string.

NELLIE HAS A WEEKEND TO REMEMBER

Freshman forward Ben Nelson enjoyed a phenomenal series against Mercyhurst on Feb. 4-5. He scored seven points (five goals, two assists) in the two games, including a hat trick on Saturday night. His five points on Saturday were also a career-high. For his efforts, Nelson was named Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week and earned national recognition from Insidecollegehockey.com as its Player of the Week.

INCH RECOGNIZES THE BOBCATS

Insidecollegehockey.com has recognized a Quinnipiac player as its Player of the Week on two occasions this year. Jamie Holden was tabbed on Nov. 1 after stopping 45 shots in a 2-1 win over No. 11 Dartmouth. Ben Nelson was honored on Feb. 7 after his seven-point effort in the sweep of Mercyhurst.

CRAIGER MOVING UP THE RANKS

Matt Craig has moved into a tie for ninth place all-time at Quinnipiac with 58 goals. Ryan Olson also scored 58 times from 1998-2002. Craig has also moved into eighth place with 130 career points.

HOME COOKING

The Bobcats are 74-11-9 (.834) all-time in Northford and 59-9-8 (.827) in conference games.

HOLDEN REACHES ANOTHER MILESTONE

Senior goaltender Jamie Holden earned his 50th career win on Feb. 4 with a victory over Mercyhurst. Holden and J.C. Wells (59 wins) are the only players in program history to hit the half-century mark.

MORE NOTES ABOUT THE MERCYHURST SWEEP

• Ben Nelson's hat trick was the first by a Quinnipiac player since Ryan Morton did it on Feb. 6, 2004 (35 games).

• Nelson's five points were the most since Matt Craig did so on Oct. 19, 2002 against AIC (91 games).

• Nelson is tied with 11 other players for the 2004-05 NCAA single-game high point mark.

• Reid Cashman's four assists were the most since Craig's four in that same AIC game (91 games).

• Cashman is tied for second 2004-05 NCAA single-game high assist mark. Two other individuals handed out five assists in a contest this year.

• The 4 power play goals were the most since Nov. 8, 2002 at AIC (87 games).

MULTIPLICITY

It only took senior defenseman Tom Watkins 130 career games, but he finally recorded the first multiple-point outing of his career with two assists against Mercyhurst on Feb. 4.

BACK TO THE EVEN POINT

The Bobcats moved over .500 for the first time since late October thanks to the sweep of Mercyhurst. Quinnipiac was 3-2 after a 2-1 win over Dartmouth on Oct. 30, but hadn't moved back over the break even point since then.

WATTY AN OFFENSIVE WIZARD

Thanks to a two-assist performance in the weekend sweep of Army, senior defenseman Tom Watkins has now set a new single-season high in points. He has 10 points this season (two goals, eight assists).

TEACHING AN OLD DOG A NEW TRICK

Senior Matt Craig has made a habit of lighting the lamp during his Quinnipiac career. However, his 51st career goal was unlike any other as a Bobcat. On Jan. 22, he scored the game-winner on a penalty shot in a 4-2 win over Holy Cross.

VAN VLIET PICKS IT BACK UP

Freshman forward Mark Van Vliet set a new career-high with three assists in the win over UConn on Jan. 15. Those three helpers tied a `Heroes Hat' single-game record and were the most for a Quinnipiac player since Dan Ennis and Wade Winkler each had three helpers in the win over Army on March 9, 2003.

ALDEN MAKES HIS PRESENCE FELT

Junior Peter Alden scored his first points in a Bobcats uniform in the weekend series against UConn on Jan. 14-15. The UMass transfer set up Ben Nelson's goal on Friday night before registering his first collegiate goal on Saturday evening.

AGAINST THE BIG FOUR

Quinnipiac is 3-25-2 all-time against members of the Big Four conferences. However, eight of those losses have come by just a goal. In fact, seven of the Bobcats last 11 defeats at the hands of Big Four schools have come by just one goal.

TAKE A NUMBER

The Bobcats are no stranger to taking on ranked teams. Quinnipiac is 2-11 against ranked teams all-time. This season, the Bobcats have defeated No. 11 Dartmouth (2-1), but fell to Colorado College when it was 11th in the nation (7-2) and No. 15 Maine (6-0). Last year, the Bobcats lost two one-goal games at Michigan (5-4, 4-3) when the Wolverines sixth in the country. Later in the year, Quinnipiac lost on a last-second goal to No. 11 Ohio State (1-0). In 2002-03, the Bobcats dropped a 2-1 decision at No. 4 Maine in its only game against a ranked squad. In 2001-2002, Quinnipiac fell to No. 6 Michigan State (3-1, 4-1) and No. 8 Cornell (6-1). The season prior, it defeated No. 11 Union (3-2) and fell to No. 10 Minnesota (11-2). The first-ever meeting for Quinnipiac against a ranked club came against Maine in 1999-2000, a 7-4 decision.

FRAILS BACK ON TRACK

Senior forward Matt Froehlich tallied his eighth career multiple-goal game on Dec. 30 with two goals against Bentley, including the game-winner. He is third on the club with 13 goals this season.

MOVING UP THE RANKS

Matt Froehlich has moved into a tie for 16th place on the all-time goals list at Quinnipiac with 47 markers. Chris White is now 20th with 42 tallies.

HE'S ELIGIBLE

Peter Alden made his Quinnipiac debut against Bentley on Dec. 30. After transferring from the University of Massachusetts last fall, Alden was required to sit out two semesters per NCAA rules. He played in 32 games in a year-plus with the Minutemen.

SURPRISE, SURPRISE

The tie and loss against Robert Morris on Dec. 10-11 was certainly a bit surprising. Since moving to the Northford Ice Pavilion, Quinnipiac was 11-1-1 against non-conference foes, with the only loss coming to Clarkson during the 1999-2000 season.

BOBCATS INK TWO EARLY

Quinnipiac University men's ice hockey coach Rand Pecknold has announced the signings of two players to National Letters of Intent for the 2005-06 season. Forward Bryan Leitch (Coquitlam, British Columbia) and goaltender Wes Russell (Springfield, Ill.) will join the Bobcats just in time for their first season of play in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Hockey League. Leitch has played in the British Columbia Hockey League for the past two years and has developed into one of the circuit's best scorers. Last season, in 58 games with the Coquitlam Express and Merritt Centennials, he scored 79 points (25 goals, 54 assists). He is now in his second season with Merritt and has scored 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists) in just 20 games. Russell, currently a member of the Springfield Jr. Blues (NAHL), went 17-9-1 with a .911 save percentage last season. The 6-foot-1, 185 pound netminder is off to a 5-4 start with the Blues this year and has posted a 3.37 goals against average and an .887 save percentage.

WHOA, NELLIE

Freshman forward Ben Nelson made his collegiate debut against Holy Cross after missing the first 11 games of the year with an injury. He made his first appearance a memorable one, netting a goal on his first collegiate shot in the third period.

A RARE OCCURRENCE

Holy Cross' Tyler McGregor scored on a penalty shot on Dec. 5 against the Bobcats Jamie Holden. It was the first time that the Bobcats had to face a penalty shot since March 9, 2003, when Justin Eddy stopped Army's Chris Garceau.

STOPS FROM ALL DIRECTIONS

Josh Siembida made the most of his first start with the Bobcats on Nov. 20. The North Dakota transfer stepped right in and made 37 saves in a 5-0 win over Bentley. It was the second career shutout for Siembida, who blanked Michigan Tech during the 2002-03 season.

BOBCATS IN THE COMMUNITY

The entire men's ice hockey team visited Green Acres Elementary School in North Haven on Nov. 22 and spent time with young schoolchildren. The Bobcats read to a group of kindergartners and colored with the children. The event was part of the `Positive Play' program...The Bobcats also signed autographs and took photos with youngsters following the Robert Morris game on Dec. 11.

BIG WIN AGAINST THE BIG GREEN

Quinnipiac's 2-1 win over Dartmouth on Oct. 30 held significance in several respects. First, the victory was the Bobcats second win all-time against a ranked team. The win was also the second all-time against a member of the ECACHL. Both of those occurrences came on Dec. 3, 2001 when the Bobcats defeated No. 11 ranked Union, 3-2. In addition, Quinnipiac now has three wins all-time against members of Big Four conferences, including a win over Hockey East member Merrimack.

WHO'S THAT MASKED MAN?

Senior goaltender Jamie Holden has picked up right where he left off a season ago. So far this season, he has been named Player of the Week by Insidecollegehockey.com, as well as Atlantic Hockey Goalie of the Week (four times). He was also MVP of the Quinnipiac Cup during the opening weekend.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB

Senior forward Matt Craig became the 22nd player in program history to reach the 100-point plateau on Oct. 16 against Bentley. He was the first player to do so since Matt Erhart during the 2002-03 season. For his career, Craig has 130 points on 58 goals and 72 assists.

THE SUMMER'S BIG SPLASH

The big news of the summer for the Quinnipiac University men's ice hockey team came not on the ice, but off it. On August 28, both the Bobcats' men's and women's clubs accepted an invitation to join the prestigious Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Hockey League for the 2005-06 season. Quinnipiac will be the league's 12th member. The Bobcats take the place of Vermont, which moved to Hockey East.

BACK IN THE SWING OF THINGS

Fresh off its eighth consecutive winning season and sixth in a row at the Division I level, the Quinnipiac University men's ice hockey team takes the ice in hopes of its second NCAA tournament appearance in four seasons during the 2004-05 campaign. The Bobcats return 11 of their top 13 scorers from a year ago and nearly 75-percent of its total offensive output. In addition, senior goaltender Jamie Holden - a 2004 First-Team All-Atlantic Hockey selection - is back between the pipes after a season in which he set new school records for goals against average and save percentage.

SUCCESS IN THE QUINNIPIAC CUP

Since the formation of the Quinnipiac Cup, the Bobcats have certainly been the most successful team that has participated. In 18 games, Quinnipiac has posted a 16-1-1 mark. The Bobcats have won seven of the first nine titles in the event.

THE DAYS GO BY

Head coach Rand Pecknold is in his 11th season at the helm of the Quinnipiac program. That is the second longest tenure since hockey was elevated to the varsity level for the 1975-76 season. Jim Armstrong coached the Bobcats for 14 seasons from 1980-94. Pecknold has a career mark of 201-117-31, good for ninth in win percentage among active Division I coaches coming into the season.

BOBCATS AT THE DIVISION I LEVEL

The Bobcats have posted a 153-75-24 record since becoming a Division I program.

SAVVY ON AND OFF THE ICE

The 2003-04 season proved to be a success both on and off the ice for the Bobcats. This year, they will look to duplicate the effort in the classroom that last year's team displayed. Thirteen players earned Atlantic Hockey All-Academic honors, 12 of whom return this year. Furthermore, Jamie Holden was named the Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Holden, Matt Froehlich and Aaron Ludwig were named Academic All-Stars.

SENIORS LOOKING TO GO OUT ON TOP

As freshmen in 2001-02, this year's senior class played a key role in the first NCAA berth in program history. Now, the nine player group will look to cement another berth in the post-season. However, the Bobcats will be looking for increased offensive production from the group. Last year, all nine players experienced a drop-off in numbers from their sophomore campaigns.

THE 30TH SEASON

The 2004-05 season marks the 30th season of play at the varsity level for Quinnipiac. The Bobcats enter this year with an all-time record of 357-364-32.

FOUR: THE MAGIC NUMBER

Chances are that if you are going to beat the Quinnipiac men's ice hockey team, you're going to have to keep them off the scoreboard. Shootouts have not been advised to opposing teams over the past six-plus seasons. Since moving to Division I, the Bobcats are an astounding 115-18-7 (.846) when scoring at least four times in a game.

THAT'S SOME GOOD RECRUITING

Since taking over for the 1994-95 season, head coach Rand Pecknold and his staff have recruited 10 of the 23 players who have scored 100 points in their career, including the all-time leading goal and point scorer, Chris Cerrella.

ON DECK

A Quinnipiac win over Bentley will allow the Bobcats to face the winner of the Mercyhurst/Holy Cross game on Saturday night in the Atlantic Hockey tournament final. Mercyhurst holds a 2-1 edge in three MAAC tournament finals, while Holy Cross and Quinnipiac have never played in a conference tournament final.